Treat yourself to a bowl of this nutritious, delicious Quinoa with Roasted Tomatoes, Kale, and Feta ... it's super tasty and good for you, too!
My husband is running the New York City Marathon this coming Sunday. Personally, I'm not a fan of running. I can't think of anything much worse than running 26.2 miles and definitely prefer cheering from the sidelines ... but he loves it!
Running that long of a distance requires a lot of commitment, and as the race approaches, our lives inevitably begin to revolve around his training. Our weekends are ruled by his long runs, discussing the route, and sometimes there's even a trip involved (definitely my favorite part).
I may not be up for the running, but I have no problem getting behind the nutritious food! Joel will be watching what he eats this week, and this Quinoa with Roasted Tomatoes, Kale, and Feta is the perfect healthy (and delicious!) meal to serve him.
Quinoa with Roasted Tomatoes, Kale, and Feta
This Quinoa with Roasted Tomatoes, Kale, and Feta is a one bowl meal that's packed with good-for-you ingredients!
- Quinoa is an amazingly nutritious whole grain that's full of protein, low in fat, and a good source of iron and fiber.
- Kale is a super food rich in phytochemicals, flavonoids, minerals, and vitamins (one cup more than fulfills your daily requirement for vitamins A, K, and C).
- Tomatoes, another super food, are rich in nutrients and a good source of minerals and vitamins, especially C. They are also a great source of lycopene, a disease-fighting antioxidant.
- Chickpeas are a fat free, high quality source of protein and fiber.
- Onions and garlic are full of phyto-nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, all of which have proven health benefits and may help fight infection, cancer, and heart disease.
OK, enough about the health benefits, let's talk about how good this dish is! Quinoa is one of my favorite foods. It's easy to prepare and delicious. I wanted to add as much flavor to the quinoa as possible, so I cooked it with sauteed onions and broth.
The quinoa is served mixed with garlicky kale and chickpeas and topped with juicy roasted cherry tomatoes and tangy feta. Yum!
Perhaps best of all, this Quinoa with Roasted Tomatoes, Kale, and feta is quick and easy to prepare. Everything is cooked separately, but at the same time, so you can have it on the table in the time it takes to steam the quinoa!
This recipe is flexible, too. If you are serving a vegan, just leave out the feta and make sure to use vegan broth to cook the quinoa. It would also be good with chicken added if you're serving someone who just can't live without meat. I think we all know a few of those people!
Quinoa with Roasted Tomatoes, Kale, and Feta
Ingredients
- 6 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 ½ cups quinoa, well rinsed
- 2 ¾ cups vegetable broth, divided
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas
- 1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped
- ¼ pound feta, crumbled
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large saucepan with lid.
- Add onion to oil and cook until it starts to brown, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in quinoa. Add 2 ½ cups vegetable broth to quinoa and bring to a boil.
- Cover pan and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until quinoa is tender and broth is absorbed, about 15 - 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cover a baking pan with tin foil and coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add the cherry tomatoes to pan in a single layer. Drizzle the tomatoes with 2 tsp. olive oil and stir to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place tomatoes in oven and roast until most of the tomatoes are popped, about 10 - 15 minutes. Set aside.
- While tomatoes are roasting, combine 2 teaspoons olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large pan.
- Place pan on stove and heat to medium. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Stir in chickpeas, kale, and ¼ cup broth. Cover pan, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
- After a few minutes, stir kale and cover pan again.
- Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted and tender (about 10 minutes). Season to taste with salt.
- When quinoa is done, stir in kale mixture. Taste and season with additional salt, if desired.
- Serve quinoa topped with roasted tomatoes and sprinkled with feta. Enjoy!
Notes
- The kale cooks down a lot, so feel free to add another bunch if you're a kale lover.
- Instead of topping the quinoa with the tomatoes and kale, feel free to mix all the ingredients together. It will taste just as good, but won't be quite as pretty!
Are you a runner, too? What about marathons ... lifetime goal or potential nightmare (ha!)?
Ginnie this is such a gorgeous bowl of healthy yumminess! I hope your hubby's race went well, this seems like the perfect meal to enjoy during a pre-race week. I'm running in my first 10k this weekend, and while that's no where NEAR at tough as a marathon, I think I might have to make this to help me get ready. 🙂
I agree, running is not my thing but kudos to Joel! I alllllmost bought kale yesterday, but I am not quite ready to take that veggie plunge...soon though! 😀 This does look really good! Especially those tomatoes, that's a fave veggie of mine! 😀
This looks so good! I am so not a runner either, but I do love walking. Pinning this and am following you on Facebook and Twitter (love those shoes on your FB page btw)! Have a great week!
This is my kind of food! Looks amazing Ginnie!! Good luck to your husband. Alex and I ran a half marathon a few weeks ago, and a 10K this weekend. She's trying to convince me to run in the Chicago marathon next October. I love running, but 26+ miles...........